The Last Talosian
by wesleyehowell
Summary: Captain Picard receives a telepathic message saying that Captain Pike is dead. Would he please let Ambassador Spock know?
1. Chapter 1

_**Introduction**_

John-Luc Picard, Captain of the U.S.S Enterprise, was relaxing. He was a man who rarely got the opportunity to do so, but he was taking the opportunity now. He was in his quarters, listening to a composition of his own making, and playing his flute along with it. He still wasn't entirely satisfied with the way it was coming out. The feeling just wasn't quite right. He was trying to get the dynamics right in this one phrase, and it just wouldn't be done!

He shook his head and muttered, then put his flute back up to his lips.

As he did so, his quarters wavered around him, as if someone had changed a holodeck program. He looked up, and saw that he was no longer in his quarters. He was on the surface of a planet. The air was hot around him and there seemed to be almost no moisture in the air at all. He looked at the flute in his hands. It was still there, and he was still dressed in his red and black uniform, but that was about the only thing that seemed to be the same. He was seated on a rock, and was not in the least comfortable. He stood, and looked around. In front of him was a small hill. There was a path leading up to an opening of some kind. It almost seemed like the top of the hill had been blown away sometime in the past. He started to walk towards the hill, and stopped. He cocked his head and listened.

There was a kind of musical sound faintly being carried on the very soft breeze that had just stirred up. He turned around and went to investigate.

Around a bend in a path, he saw a plant. It's leaves were vibrating, and he walked over to it. Very gingerly, he touched one of the leaves, as if it might bite him. Part of the sound stopped. "Interesting," he thought. "However, I need to find out where I am." He turned again, and could see the hill, and there seemed to be some activity in the opening he had noticed before. Some person was rising up inside it, as if by a lift.

Picard started towards the hill again, and then the person stepped out.

The person he saw was short and was wearing a flowing robe of some sort of metallic fabric. He (at least Picard assumed that it was a he. The facial features were quite soft and almost feminine) had a very large, bald head, and Picard could see pulsing veins underneath the skin covering the cranium.

The person started down the path which lead down the hill, and when he reached the bottom, he held Picard in a long, searching gaze. He seemed to be sizing him up, and Picard was distinctly uncomfortable.

Finally the person spoke.

"Welcome to Talos IV, Captain Picard. What you see around you is an illusion transmitted to you from my thoughts. I am the Keeper, and I am the last of my race. Would you please carry a message to Ambassador Spock?"

"Ambassador Spock?" Picard finally managed to get out. Talos IV? He couldn't believe what he was hearing!

"Yes," the Keeper affirmed. "Please tell him that Captain Pike is dead."

With that, the planet disolved around him, and Picard once again found himself standing in his quarters. He very gently put down his flute and started toward sickbay. He needed to find Beverly Crusher. He needed to know he was sane before he called a briefing on this!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 1**_

Captain Picard sat at the head of the crescent shaped table. Seated around it were some of his closest friends in the world. Commander Riker, who had been his trusted first officer throughout his captaincy on board the Enterprise D, and was now filling the same spot with consumate skill on this new Enterprise. Worf, back from his stay on Deep Space 9 under Captain Sisko. Dr. Crusher, who had been more than just a doctor on the Enterprise for many years. Geordie LaForge, who was arguably the best engineer in Starfleet. Commander Data, who had proved his skill, and humanity, throughout his serving on the Enterprise time and time again. And Deanna Troi. She had been invaluable in her time on the Enterprise as well. She had guided him in many difficult decisions, and he had learned to trust her empathic skills implicitly.

Two hours before, he had hurried to sickbay after having somehow seen a Talosian in some kind of illusion. Dr. Crusher had put him through a battery of tests, and had come to the conclusion that Picard had not been imagining things. He had subsequently called this briefing, and had just finished filling his command crew in on the details of his "illusion."

His crew seemed stunned, but to their credit, they recovered very quickly. "Who is... or was... Captain Pike?" Crusher asked. Everyone looked at Data for the answer, and were not disappointed.

"Captain Pike was the commander of the original USS Enterprise, before Captain Kirk assumed command."

"But why would he be on Talos IV?" Riker wanted to know.

"There is no record of ANY starfleet vessel ever going to Talos IV. In fact, any commander who takes his vessel to Talos IV is subject to the death penalty. That has been the consequence of going there for almost 90 years."

"Almost 90 years," mused Picard. "Around the time that Christopher Pike was in command of that first Enterprise."

"Definitely would be around the right time," Riker said. "I wish I knew why Starfleet invoked the death penalty for going there."

"It sure would help," Geordie agreed. "but how was the Talosian able to send that message to you, this far away from Talos?"

"It is conceivable that the Talosian race has... or had, this power as a whole. That would definitely make them formiddable enemies. Perhaps Starfleet was afraid of this power and wanted them isolated, so they put up the no contact order," Data hypothesised.

Picard wasn't so sure, however. "That would imply that they were a real threat, and as far as any records are concerned, there has NEVER been any contact with Talos. Not even any mention of Talos, except what is law concerning contact with them. If there was a threat, we should have heard from them in the intervening ninety years."

"How could they be a threat, Captain?" Riker asked. "The Talosian you saw said he was the last of his race. A dying race can hardly be considered a threat!"

"With this power of illusion, they might, Commander," Data countered. "If their minds were powerful enough to reach the captain's mind this far away from Talos, I would expect that they could do much more as well. The captain said that the illusion was complete, down to temperature and smells. An illusion so complete could disguise a ships controls as anything. A person might inadvertently press any button on any control panel, thereby damaging their own ship."

A low growl issued from Worf's throat at this suggestion. "A cowardly way to fight," he muttered.

"I agree with you, Mr. Worf. However, we need to keep in mind that this is all just speculation at the moment," said Picard, mildly. "What I would like to know, is why would the Talosian tell me that Captain Pike was dead?"

"According to our records, Captain, Captain Christopher Pike died over eighty years ago on Earth. He's buried at his ranch in Arizona," Deanna offered.

"That's what the Starfleet records say," ventured Riker. "I wonder if we should take that with a grain of salt in this instance. They don't seem to have been very forthcoming with their information in this case, so..." His voice trailed off and a strange expression covered his newly clean shaven face. "Could Captain Pike have been on Talos instead of buried in Arizona?"

Picard thought for a moment. "It would certainly explain why the Talosian wanted me to tell Ambassador Spock that he was dead. I'll admit Number One. The thought had crossed my mind as well, but it seems pretty fantastic. Why use such an elaborate ruse as this? I remember in my history reading about Captain Pike's heroic rescue of some children on a transport. He selflessly went into the cloud of coolant and pulled them out. In the process, he was horribly scarred and confined to a wheelchair. He wasn't even able to talk anymore."

Geordie shook his head knowingly. "It's a horrible way to go. At least with the coolant we have now, you're gone in an instant. With those old warp engines, it could take years to die. You were pretty much turned into a vegetable. I've seen pictures of some of the injuries people sustained from that stuff, including some of Captain Pike. It was horrible."

"I hate to bring this up, but are we sure the Talosian was referring to the same Captain Pike that we are?" Deanna ventured. All he said was 'Captain Pike is dead.' Do we really know that he was referring to Christopher Pike?"

Data answered smoothly. "I have run several crosschecks. I find no other mention of a significant 'Captain Pike' in Starfleet records. Furthermore, I have found that Ambassador Spock was on the Enterprise during Captain Pike's command."

Riker looked surprised about that. "I thought Spock only served on the Enterprise under Captain Kirk."

Data shook his head. "No sir. In fact, there is something else very strange that I found in my research. About two months after Captain Pike was injured in that transport accident, the Enterprise, commanded by James T. Kirk diverted to Starbase Twelve where Captain Pike was receiving medical treatment. Why it diverted is not mentioned in the logs of the starbase, or of the Enterprise. The Enterprise picked up Captain Pike and took him to Earth. While en route, he died, and he was buried when they arrived at Earth. While researching this, I found details about his death sadly lacking, as well as of the funeral. For such a decorated captain as Pike, I would have expected there to be video clips of that, at least. There were none. Also, there were only printed logs of the trip to Earth. Not audio, and when I searched further, the computer signature of the logs clearly showed that they had been tampered with."

Picard's eyebrows raised. "So there is definitely some question as to whether or not Captain Pike was actually taken to Earth and buried there. But why would no-one have noticed this before, Data?"

"I suspect, Captain, that people were 'discouraged' from probing too deeply into the records regarding these facts."

"Curiouser and Curiouser, Mr Data," Picard mused. He looked at each of the people seated at the table in turn. "I think we need to talk to Starfleet about this. We may not get any answers. There may be no one who knows the answers at Starfleet. But I think we need to try."

"Ambassador Spock knows." Worf's statement was filled with a mixture of surprise, venom, and admiration. "It does not seem like Vulcan behavior to hide something like this."

"No, Mr. Worf. It doesn't. But I suspect that the ambassador had his reasons. We will certainly find out." He stood up then and smoothed down his uniform. "Carry on, people."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 2**_

It was hot. Kathryn Janeway, recently returned from the Delta Quadrant of the Galaxy, and recently promoted to Admiral, was hot. She was wearing her fleet uniform, but over that was a hooded robe, to keep the hot wind from driving her completely crazy. She was on Vulcan, home of her former chief of security, Tuvok. However, she wasn't here to see him. Her business was at the Vulcan Science Academy. She walked into the building, and was grateful for the immediate drop in temperature that she felt when she entered. The building had no air conditioning, but was cooled naturally. It was still warm, but was cool enough to allow her to remove the robe and fold it over her arm as she went to the young Vulcan woman sitting at the receptionist's desk. As she approached, the woman looked up, and stood.

"Admiral Janeway. My name is T'Vanna. The Ambassador's class ends in 15.236 minutes. If you would like to wait here, he will meet with you as soon as it has ended."

"Thank you, T'Vanna. I'll do that."

The Vulcan woman came around her desk and stood in front of the Starfleet Admiral. "It is an honor to meet you, Ma'am. Tuvok is a distant relative of mine. We are grateful that Voyager was able to return from the Delta Quadrant. I have read what I could about your travels, and am..." She stopped abruptly and turned her eyes down, looking somewhat embarrassed about her outburst.

Janeway allowed a small smile at that. This woman was obviously quite young, and while not gushing about meeting a celebrity in the human fashion, it was clear that she was indulging in a small amount of hero worship. Especially for a Vulcan. "Our return home was due in no small part to your distant relative, Tuvok. He is a remarkable man, and friend," she said by way of easing the young woman's discomfort. "Is there a place I can get some water, T'Vanna?"

T'Vanna looked up, seemed to return from her embarrassed state and gestered to the corner of the reception area. "There is water and cups there, Admiral," she said as she hurried to get some for Janeway. She handed over a cup of ice cold water.

"Thank you, T'Vanna. I'll just sit here and wait for the Ambassador."

T'Vanna gave a small nod, said in the human fashion, "You're welcome," and hurried back to her desk.

Janeway sat down and mentally composed herself for meeting someone whom to her, was a hero.

She closed her eyes and started to think about what she knew of the man she would soon be meeting for the first time. She wasn't sure if she had dozed off, but suddenly a soft, but deep voice sounded. "Admiral Janeway."

She snapped her eyes open, and rose quickly to her feet. There he was, standing in front of her - in the flesh. "Ambassador Spock," she managed to get out. Unlike T'Vanna, she had no Vulcan training to fall back on to cover her awe. "It's an honor, sir."

"For me also, Admiral," he said as he raised an eyebrow. Janeway had the distinct impression that Spock would have smiled had he not been Vulcan. Not only that, but there almost seemed a palpable curiosity emanating from the man about why she was there and had requested this meeting with him. She instinctively liked him. She knew that for someone who had done the things he had done, bringing the Romulan Empire as close to unification with the Vulcans as he had, he must be a powerful personality, but that knowledge gave no hint of the sheer likeability of the man. He seemed friendly! Yes, she was friends with Tuvok, but Tuvok carried around himself an aloofness that seemed impenetrable to people who didn't know him. She had earned that friendship over a long association with Tuvok. This man in front of her simply seemed to emanate calmness, and there was a friendliness about him that drew people to him. It seemed strange, but she wasn't going to call attention to it and possibly embarrass him.

"Ambassador. Is there some place we can go to talk privately?"

His eyebrow rose even higher at the request, but he responded, "Certainly Admiral. If you will come with me, please." He turned and gestured off down a hallway, indicating that she should accompany him. As they started walking, Spock said to her, "My congratulations on your remarkable journey, Admiral. You and your shipmates are to be commended on a most difficult time."

"Thank you, Ambassador." She gave a small smile again, and said, "Coming from you, Ambassador, that's high praise."

"Indeed," Spock said as they entered an office, and he closed the door behind them. Janeway could have sworn that she saw a small smile play across his mouth as he said, "Now that the mutual admiration is out of the way, shall we discuss what you are here to discuss?"

Janeway wasn't sure that she had seen the smile at first, so his statement took her off guard. Then, she saw it play across his mouth again, and relaxed. The man had a sense of humor. No doubt about it! He was teasing her. Perhaps with time, Tuvok would unwind enough to show his humor, she thought.

"Very well, Ambassador. 3 days ago, we received a call from Picard on the Enterprise. He had a very strange story to tell. He claimed to have been contacted by a Talosian."

The slight smile completely disappeared from Spock's face. His only reaction other than that was to sit up even straighter in his chair than he had already been. "I see." was all he said.

"This Talosian said he was the keeper, and claimed to be the last of his race."

"Go on, Admiral"

"He asked Picard to tell you that Captain Pike was dead."

At that, Spock's eyes closed and for a moment, his head bowed. None of this was lost on Janeway.

"I take it you know what the 'Keeper' was referring to. Ambassador, I did some checking and found after some very detailed research, that a Federation vessel did at one time go to Talos IV. It was the Enterprise, under the command of Captain Christopher Pike. You were the science officer on board at the time. What happened?"

"Admiral. Surely, with the research you did, you understand that I cannot divulge anything that happened during that trip. To do so, would be to risk the death penalty. Both for you and I."

" To quote an old earth saying, 'I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you.' Is that it, Ambassador?"

Spock raised an eyebrow at that. "If I understand the reference, that is essentially the case, although I would be up against the same penalty, so it would hardly be me killing you."

Janeway reached into the folds of her robe and pulled out a blue starfleet envelope wrapped around with a string. She handed it to Spock saying, "I anticipated your reluctance to tell me, Sir, so I brought this with me. In it you'll find that for the duration, information about Talos IV is on a need to know basis, and I am listed as needing to know. Further, I am authorized to give the 'need to know' status to anyone I deem necessary."

Spock opened the envelope and scanned it quickly. He then looked up at Janeway and seemed to consider for a moment. "Very well, Admiral. I shall tell you the story." He then reached out on his desk and touched a button "T'Mar, Would you please do me a favor and handle my afternoon Multitronic Circuitry class?" "Certainly, Ambassador Spock," came the quick reply over the intercom.

Spock looked back at Janeway, then stood up, and came around the desk to the chair sitting opposite her. He eased himself down into it and placed his elbows on the arm of the chair. He put his hands together and steepled his fingers. He gazed at his hands for a bit then said, still looking at his fingers, "There is a very good reason why Talos has been off limits for all these years Admiral. And also, a very good reason why the Keeper would be telling us that Captain Pike is dead."

He paused for a moment and Janway took the opportunity to say, "Captain Pike was not buried in Arizona, was he? Did he ever come back from Talos?"

"After the Enterprise visited there under him, yes. Captain Pike came back."

"Visited there under him. You imply that it visited there again? Under someone else?"

"Yes Admiral. The Enterprise went to Talos IV not once, but twice. Once under Captain Pike, and once under Captain James Kirk."

Janeway almost laughed at that. "Why am I not surprised to hear of Captain Kirk being involved in this? No disrespect, Ambassador, of course."

Spock stopped staring at his fingers and looked at Janeway. "I understand, Admiral. James Kirk did seem to be a magnet for adventure." The hint of the smile was back as he talked about his old friend. "And, of course, the ability to cheat death." His eyes seemed to hood for a moment, but then it was past, and he started speaking again. "Admiral, I must tell you that this will sound fantastic. But you must hear me. Years ago, I told Jim that he wouldn't believe me unless he saw for himself what had happened. The Talosians accomidated me then. Unfortunately, we don't have them to do that now. If the Keeper is dying, I fear that the strain of sending the illusions this far could in fact, finish that process. Therefore, I will have to ask you to simply trust me, and believe what I have to tell you."

Janeway nodded her head at that. "Ambassador. After the last 8 years, I find myself willing to believe just about anything."

Spock nodded. "Indeed, Admiral. I can well imagine. However, after all that I've seen, I still find this on the limit of believability."

Spock lowered his arms, and folded his hands into his lap and began. "While Captain Pike was in command of the Enterprise, we received a distress call from the Talos star group. It said that the SS Columbia was going to crash. We were on our way to a rescue situation at the Vega colony, and Captain Pike was reluctant to divert as this was a radio signal, and the crash had apparently happened 18 years before. Understandably, he didn't divert the Enterprise until we received a follow up message saying that people had survived the crash. Once we received the second message, we warped to Talos. We found several human people there. However, we quickly found that this was an illusion. There was only one human survivor from the Columbia. Her name was Vina, and she had been 'put back together' by the Talosians. We met her in the survivor camp, and she appeared to be a very young woman. Later we found that this was not the case. She was actually quite old, and scarred from the crash. The Talosians did a remarkable job putting her back together, but they had never seen a human before. They had no guide in putting her back together. Her actual appearance was quite deformed.

"The Talosians had destroyed their world with war, and when the surface became uninhabitable, they had moved underground. They devoted themselves to their power of illusion, and had literally forgotten how to repair the machinery left by their ancestors. They needed a race to do this work for them. So they needed slaves. To this end, they abducted Captain Pike and took him below the surface to their menagerie. In it they had many creatures from across the galaxy that they had tried to build a race of slaves with. None had shown the promise of humans.

"During his captivity, Captain Pike was subjected to many different illusions. The Talosians showed how he could create his own illusions to live out the rest of his life. Thus, his captivity wouldn't even appear to be such."

Janeway broke in: "A bird in a guilded cage"

Spock nodded in agreement. "but a cage nonetheless. Exactly, Admiral. Once the Talosians read our records on the Enterprise, they realized that nothing they would do would make the Captain accept this situation. He would rather die. Then, they let him go."

Janeway asked, "Just like that?"

Spock again nodded. "Just like that. However, when Captain Pike was injurred beyond the scope of our science to handle, they contacted me. Apparently, they had monitored Captain Pike over the intervening years. They had kept up with him and offered to take him back, not as breeding stock, but perhaps as a way of apology. Perhaps as a feeling of affection. They offered for Captain Pike to spend the rest of his life unfettered by his physical body. And Vina was there. A woman that he DID have feelings for.

"So the Enterprise took him back to Talos?" Janeway asked. "But why all the secrecy about Talos?"

"That was actually the Talosians idea. Captain Pike offered mutual trade, but they declined. They did not want us learning their power of illusion and ruining our civilization. They used it as a narcotic, and their whole society was addicted to this particular narcotic. They simply could not get free of it. They didn't want that happening to anyone else."

"So starfleet instituted the death penalty for going to Talos IV." Janeway shook her head. "It seems to incredible."

"Consider, Admiral. If one unscrupulous person had learned this power of illusion, what could have happened to the Federation. Such a person could make himself Emperor almost overnight. Garth of Izar was sent to a mental institute because he had learned cellular metamorphosis, and could assume any shape. He was mentally unhinged by his ability. This power of illusion would not only allow the person to appear as anything they wanted to, but to make others think and do anything. What would that do to the Federation?

"Yes, Ambassador. I see what you mean. It could have ended our society." Janeway paused for a moment, and then went on. "So Captain Pike has been on Talos ever since Captain Kirk took him back. And now, according to the Keeper, he is dead."

"Yes, Admiral."

"What do you recommend doing, Ambassador Spock?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 3**_

The shuttle touched down at Starfleet Academy. It had been a long time since Spock had been there, and he wasn't sure what he thought about going there now. One of the problems with being a long lived species meant outliving many of his friends. There were a lot of ghosts at Starfleet Academy that only he would see. Kirk and Pike were only two of them. There were Hikaru Sulu, Pavel Chekov, Nyota Uhura, Kevin Riley. Spock would be reminded of all of them, and much as he tried to hide his emotions, they would visit him while he was here. The simple fact was, he missed them, and the knowledge that he would not see them again was hard to take. Leonard McCoy was still alive, although he was not here. The old doctor had finally retired, although he still made occasional appearances at the Academy. Enterprise's chief engineer was also alive in this time, although Spock had no idea where he was. Last known, Scotty was at Risa. Spock wished that he could see McCoy and Scott. He would love to talk to them about the current task he found himself embroiled in. But with all his heart, he wished Jim were here to offer his suggestions.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it, Mr. Spock."

Spock snapped out of his reverie, and looked at the woman beside him. "Indeed it has, Admiral."

Admiral Janeway had quickly gotten the go ahead from Starfleet Command to go and get Captain Pike's body. Much of Starfleet's decision was based on his saying there would be no danger from the Talosians. Once she had the word, she had contacted him, and they had quickly caught the next Federation ship heading from Vulcan to Earth. They needed to get the rest of their team and a ship. Starfleet had refused to let a ship as conspicuous as Enterprise to go to Talos, no matter how much Spock assured them that there was no danger. "Just in case," they had said, and Spock had to admit that he understood their reasoning... to a point. Therefore, they were going to use another ship. Spock sincerely wished it were the Enterprise. Somehow it would feel better if they did, but that was not to be. He turned to Janeway. "Do you know which ship will transport us, Admiral?"

"I have an idea, Mr. Spock. I wish it could be Enterprise, but Starfleet wants us to use a different ship. They feel that while the danger from Talos is negligable, it wouldn't be prudent to advertise that we have an interest in the system by sending it there."

"I understand, Admiral."

At his tone, she looked up at him. She could detect no emotion in his face, and because of that more than any reason said, "But you don't agree."

They had been walking towards the administration buildings, but at her statement, Spock stopped and turned towards her. How to explain to her what he was feeling. He had seen that she had great insight, and that she was trustworthy, but would she understand what he was feeling? "It is not that I disagree Admiral. It would simply â€˜feel better' if it were the Enterprise."

To his surprise, she smiled. "I understand, Mr. Spock. Enterprise was his ship, and even though that Enterprise is long gone, it would be fitting for the current Enterprise - The Flagship of the Federation - to bring him home. Is that what you're feeling?"

Spock's eyebrow shot up, and he nodded. As they turned and started walking towards the buildings again, Spock said, "It is gratifying to know that you do understand my position, Admiral."

She glanced at him momentarily and said, "It's a matter of honor, Spock."

"Indeed it is, Admiral."

Seated around the table were the command crew of the USS Enterprise. They were talking animatedly when the door opened. At the appearance of Spock and Janeway, they all stood to their feet. "As you were," said Janeway with a wave of her hand as she quickly strode into the room. She walked to the chair at the head of the table but instead of sitting down, she put her hands on the back of the chair and acknowleged each of the people seated with a glance. "We have three more people who aren't here yet. As soon as they arrive, we can get started."

"While we're waiting, Admiral, I wonder if you could satisfy our curiosity," Picard said. "We're wondering why we're meeting here rather than at Starfleet Headquarters."

"Certainly, Captain. Starfleet security. Once again, it seems that the Romulan Empire has been receiving information that they really don't need to have. Since it is graduation time here, it was decided that, due to the sensitive nature of this briefing, it should be conducted here. Noone should say much about you all being here for Starfleet Academy's graduation ceremonies. Most of you will be asked to speak, so it shouldn't raise any eyebrows at all for you to be here."

Spock was seated across from Dr. Crusher, and in agreement, he nodded his head, and in fact, raised an eyebrow. There was a muffled snort from Dr. Crusher at that, and she quickly turned her head and made it into a cough. Spock merely raised his other eyebrow while Data looked around quizzically.

Crusher was saved having to explain by the door sliding open, and three people entering the room. Captain Chakotay of Voyager, his first officer, Tom Paris, and Voyager's chief engineer, B'Elanna Torres.

"Chakotay, B'Elanna, Tom!" Janeway exclaimed. "Welcome! I think you know the crew from the Enterprise."

"It's good to see you again, Admiral," said Chakotay as he sat down in one of the remaining seats. He then acknowledged the Enterprise contingent, and looked back at Janeway. "What's this all about?"

Janeway sat down in her chair finally, and looked to Picard. "Go ahead and explain what you saw, Captain."

Picard cleared his throat and then told his story. To their credit, none of Voyager's people seemed skeptical, although when he was done explaining, Tom Paris asked, "With all due respect, Captain, is there a chance you were ... uh... "

Crusher jumped in. "I ran every conceivable test on Captain Picard, and could find no indications of hallucinations, mental illnesses, or anything else that could explain this other than the fact that he had actually seen it."

"The illusion is consistent with what we know of the Talosians and their abilities. Furthermore, what Captain Picard describes about the planet's surface and of the Keeper. It all agrees with what I remember of the planet," Spock said matter of factly.

Chakotay looked from Picard to Janeway, then to Spock. "I take it their's much more to this briefing."

"Much," Janeway said.

"Would you mind filling me in then, Ambassador."

Spock nodded and then told his story. Janeway was the only one who had heard it, but he told it in much greater detail as it came back to him. Everyone at the table listened intently; not interrupting. When he was finally finished, everyone simply sat there, too stunned to even speak. Finally, Chakotay looked at Janeway and asked. "So what are we going to do?"

Janeway looked at each one at the table in turn. "We're going to bring Captain Pike home."


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 4**_

The plan was elegant in it's simplicity. Spock would go to Talos, of course, since he was the one person alive who had been on the planet's surface. Picard would go, as he was the one contacted by the Talosian, and since he was the commander of the Enterprise. They may not be able to take the Enterprise there, but it was thought that the commander of the current USS Enterprise should be there as a tribute to the commander of the former USS Enterprise. Doctor Crusher would also go as they would need a medical officer. Admiral Janeway, true to her word, was going so as "not to miss out on all the fun." Of course, the official reason was that it was her project, and she was in command.

Because of the sensitive nature of Talos, Starfleet was limiting the crew that went to seven. They would take the Delta Flyer. The little powerhouse of a ship was the brain child of B'Elanna Torres, and Tom Paris. They had built the ship on board Voyager while in the Delta Quadrant, and they would both come along as engineer and pilot, respectively.

While Spock had assured Janeway that there was no danger from the Keeper, she had still insisted that they bring a security contingent. The person she had in mind wasn't really a contigent, but he had the strength of such. Worf would accompany them.

Voyager and Enterprise were to be stationed nearby. Both ships were assigned a couple of star systems away from Talos on either side, so they could get there in a hurry if needed.

"Because of the Romulan threat, we don't want to take either ship to Talos. Given what we know of Talos, we really don't want or need the Romulans snooping around there, so we would prefer not to attract any attention there. The Flyer has a few tricks up her sleeve as far as armaments and weapons. Hopefully we won't need them, but if we do, we'll be ready. And with Enterprise and Voyager standing by, we should be ok," Janeway had said as she outlined the plan.

Onboard the Delta Flyer, Tom Paris sat at the controls. He was a bit surprised to find himself going to Talos. He remembered from the Academy wondering why going to Talos held the death penalty. Now he knew, and he wasn't sure he could believe it. Seated beside him, at the co-pilots position was his wife, B'Elanna. She was helping him go through the pre-flight checklist. Both were extremely competent, and meticulous in their work, but with this load of passengers, neither one of them wanted any problems, so they were being just that much more careful. Despite their extra care, they finished right on time. Tom signaled Chakotay to that effect.

"Ok, Tom. We'll be in position in just a few moments. Stand by. Take care."

"No problem, Chakotay. We'll be back in time for dinner," Paris joked.

"Sounds good, Tom. I'll save you a steak."

"Make mine rare!"

Just then Harry Kim broke in. "Launch on my mark, Tom. In five, four, three, two, mark!"

This particular launch was quite tricky. Voyager was still in warp space, but if anyone could do it, it was Tom Paris. As Harry was counting down, Paris was revving the little ship up, as he put it. Keeping one foot on the brake, so to speak. As soon as Kim said "mark", Tom released the fields holding them in place, and the ship shot out of the bay, it's warp field established the moment it left Voyager's. For the launch, Spock, Picard, and Janeway had been standing in the connecting door of the Flyer's 2 compartments.

"Facinating," Spock said as he watched Paris perform the difficult lauch with supreme ease.

"I told you he was good," Janeway remarked with pride to the two men.

"Indeed," Picard said as he turned and walked back to his seat.

It was hoped that such a warp speed launch would be undetectible for anyone curious enough to see what Voyager was doing. In fact, the momentary burst of power that Paris used to move the ship out of the bay was shut down as quick as it had been applied. The Flyer maintained a warp field, but no thrust was applied. That warp field would keep the ship moving at faster than light velocities, but it would be coasting towards Talos. Hopefully with no ion trail from the ship, the warp field would be mistaken as a subspace anomaly put out by a momentary fluctuation in Voyager's own warp field. In fact, Harry Kim had written a program that would simulate such fluctuations aboard Voyager. They would happen randomly, and would lessen in intensity as time went on, as though the engineering staff aboard Voyager were making a repair. Of course, if things had actually been that way in her engine room, B'Elanna would have beaten a few heads together. There was no way she would have tolerated such a thing, but for the sake of the current mission, she had grudgingly acquieced to Harry's program. At least it was only a simulated problem. Not the real thing.

"We are on course for Talos IV," Paris said nochalantly, as he glanced back to Janeway. "Should be there in a couple of hours, Admiral."

"Thanks Tom," Janeway said. "Excellent job."

"Thank you, Admiral."

B'Elanna looked up from her board and glanced back. "Passive scans read the fluctuations from Voyager," she said. "We should have looked just the same as we launched."

"B'Elanna. You have to fix those engines," quipped Paris. "Those emissions look terrible!"

B'Elanna gave him a dirty look, then said,"Would you just get back to your flying."

Paris turned to look at Worf who was seated right behind him and grinned. "Women... Engineers... Such a temper either way."

Worf growled, and then in a low voice said. "She is Klingon!"

Paris turned back around opened his eyes wide, and mouthed an exaggerated "O.K."

Crusher, who was seated on the other side of the cockpit from Worf, saw it, and could barely supress a laugh. With the dynamics of Commander Paris' sense of humor and two Klingons in the cockpit, this should be an interesting trip. She was going to simply sit back, observe, and enjoy.


	6. Chapter 6

_Standard disclaimer. I don't own these characters, nor Star Trek. Just a fan. _

_On another note, I realize this chapter is short. Sorry. But its a necessary link to where I'm going with this story. Enjoy, and please review. Let me know what you like and what you don't. _

_**Chapter 5**_

The three in the rear compartment of the ship were speaking quietly not to exclude the others, but so as not to disturb Paris as he flew the small craft in a way it was never designed to fly.

"Ambassador, " Picard said, "Can you please tell us all you can remember about the Talosians? "

"Certainly, Captain. But you must realize that while they scanned our records, we were not afforded the same luxury. We know very little about them. And what we do know is limited observation and guesswork."

"Yet you assured Starfleet that there was no danger. Or at least negligible danger," objected Janeway.

"That is true, Admiral. The danger from the Keeper is negligible."

"How can you say that, if we have so little in the way of facts about them?"

"Admiral. While we have little facts regarding the Talosians, once they determined to not use Captain Pike and Vina as breeding stock, their attitude towards both of them was extremely compassionate. It seemed as though by living out Captain Pike's dreams with him, they had gained a deep affinity towards him," Spock explained.

Picard nodded his head. "That would make sense," he said softly.

Spock nodded. "When one has a psychic bond with another, it is almost unavoidable. I would speculate that if the Keeper has been in such a deep bond with Captain Pike for almost 90 years, he has absorbed much of Captain Pike's personality."

Beverly, from her seat in the forward cabin ventured, "Couldn't that have worked the opposite way, Ambassador? "

Spock seemed to have thought about this, though. "Certainly it could have. However consider one of the things we do know about the Talosians. Their society broke down because they used illusions as a narcotic. While I do not have experience with narcotics, don't people who use them go for the 'ride? "

"'Trip", Beverly said. "And yes, you're right. in this case, the entertainment value would probably be in observing and absorbing the emotions generated by the illusion. Even an illusion that generated intense fear in the Captain would probably be stimulating to those observing. "

"So you don't think the Talosians were looking for the challenge of control and domination," Janeway said.

Spock looked at the admiral gravely before replying. "Admiral. In my life I have had several occasions to link telepathically with non telepathic minds. One might think at the outset that melding wth a non-telepathic mind would be easier for the telepathic mind. Such is not the case, however. The non telepathic mind has no control or natural barriers. Nor does it have any ability to facilitate a meld. This means that the telepathic mind has to do all the work of shielding and melding for both minds. Melding is not such a problem, but it is much easier when both participants can add to the meld. The shielding is where the problems arise. Having to shield yourself from the onslaught of emotions from an untrained mind is taxing. Over time it can become exhausting, and will physically wear a person down. Add this to having to initiate the meld entirely on one's own, and you have a situation which can quickly drain an individual."

"Were the Talosians able to pool their resources?" Picard wanted to know.

"Unknown," Spock replied. "Captain Kirk, Doctor McCoy, and I came across a group of telekinetic people who had developed their powers after exposure to certain elements in the food supply of their adopted planet. They referred to themselves as Platonians and they espoused a deep respect for, and a desire to live by, the teachings or Earth's Plato. Given the fact they believed whoever was the strongest had the right to rule, we were surprised that none of them had pooled their powers and overthrown Parman, their current ruler. They reported that they had tried to pool them. They were not able to.

"I do not know whether the Talosians would have that limitation, however, as they were true telepaths. The Platonians were not. Telepathy infers an ability to join another mind without physical contact. This requires the minds to be in sync with each other. Such a state would be necessary for pooling powers, but the Platonians could not accomplish this even to communicate, let alone overcoming another mind. They were able to project emotions into another mind, but this was accomplished by brute force." The ambassador's whole demeanor had taken on a dark aspect. No one asked for any elaboration on that particular part of the tale.

"With regard to your question, however, Captain. The Talosians were not Platonians. I do not think they would pool their powers to overcome another mind, nor do I think it would be necessary. There are infinitely more ways of overcoming a mind subtly. "

With that statement the participants of the conversation became quiet. Spock seemed to draw into himself. The admiral looked at the planet slowly growing in the front viewport. Picard studied the floor intently. Crusher looked at the three for a long moment, then slowly turned to the front where things were starting to happen as Paris prepared the ship for atmospheric entry then landing.


	7. Chapter 7

_I don't own these characters or Star Trek._

_Please review. I need to know what you think. _

_**Chapter 6**_

The land was hot and dry. The breeze blowing didn't really cool; it just moved the hot around. And, it dried things even more. The only nice thing about the breeze was the shimmering music it carried on it. That was the only sound in the otherwise silent land. Nothing moves or stirred in what amounted to a desert. For a moment, the music dwindled. It lost a note in the continuous chord, then another. The wind was slowing. Then the sky was split by a huge crack, as the Delta Flyer shot overhead, rapidly slowing, but still moving at supersonic speeds. The ship came almost to a stop, then started moving more vertically as it set down in a small clearing. The noise from its atmospheric engines subsided then the door opened, and Ambassador Spock looked out on a world he had not seen in over 80 years.

Spock looked at the pad in his hand and then at the pilot. "You are to be commended, Mr. Paris. You and Mr. Kim. Your course brought us to exactly the location that I requested." Tom Paris nodded acknowledgement of Spock's compliment, then as he finished shutting down his ship, he looked at Spock.

"Thank you, sir. That's very much appreciated." The admiral smiled at this. Tom Paris was very sure about his piloting, as well he should be. He was good. Actually, there were few people who could pilot like him. Picard's officer, Data was one, but to be fair, he was an android. about the only other was one that the ambassador had served with, Hikaru Sulu, and in retrospect, maybe that's why the praise from the ambassador seemed to affect him so much. Paris would, of course know of Spock's association with Sulu and would know that such praise would not come cheaply.

As the seven left the craft, the wind picked up again and the music sounded again. Otherwise, all was still. Spock directed them to the knoll where Picard had seen the Keeper rise up in a lift. They climbed up the hill on a small footpath and came to where Pike's Number One had,so many years ago, directed the Enterprise power, and blown the top of the hill off without even knowing it. There, they found the lift waiting, it seemed, for them. Worf growled at that. It seemed suspicious to him. Of course, as a security officer, it was his job to be suspicious. "We're expected, Mr. Worf," Paris said.

"Why would the Keeper expect us? How would he know we would come?" Worf challenged.

Janeway paused. Worf had a point. Spock answered, however. "The Keeper had been in touch with Captain Picard. Indeed, once I was near the captain, the Keeper would have known, and could easily have ascertained our intentions."

Crusher was doing a slow pivot with her medical tricorder scanning. "I'm picking up a faint life form reading about 50 yards in that direction" she said, pointing straight out from the side of the hill.

"Just the one? " Picard asked, surprise in his voice.

"Yes, Captain, " she said, her voice quiet now. "Very faint. Metabolic rate very slow. Could be a person in a coma."

Picard looked at Janeway and she spoke. "Mr. Worf. Please accompany the doctor as she checks this out. The rest of us will hold back in case it's not someone friendly. I realize that there's probably only us and the Keeper alive on this planet, but that's only an assumption that I'd rather not test."

Spock nodded at that. "Logical" was his only comment.

Worf took the lead back down the hill, then he and Crusher split off from the rest of the group. They came to where the Doctor had pointed and stopped. Lying on the ground, under the bush whose leaves were vibrating and producing a musical chord, was a man with a large cranium, soft features, and metallic robes. It was obviously the Keeper. His breathing was very shallow, and a rasping sound came from his throat.

Beverly shouted to the others: "It's the Keeper!" As soon as they heard this, the others came running. Spock looked at her with a concerned expression. "His respiratory system is shutting down, Ambassador. If we can get him to the ship, I might be able to do something. "

Without waiting for word from Janeway, Spock effortlessly picked up the small being and swiftly carried him to the Flyer.


	8. Chapter 8

_Standard disclaimer. These are not my own characters._

_I'm thinking of the irony of typing this story on my Andoid Tablet. Very Trek. _

_Please review._

_**Chapter 7**_

The Keeper was laid on the diagnostic bed in the back of the Delta Flyer. Crusher had followed Spock back to the ship, and set up the bed before the ambassador had, with infinite gentleness, laid the small form on it. Then he had stood by while the doctor had scanned him. "There is nothing wrong except that the aveoli in the lungs are simply plugged. He is slowly suffocating"

Spock blinked at her in surprise. "What could cause such a condition, Doctor? "

"I don't know, Ambassador. Atmospheric pollutants, I suppose. You did say they live underground and that they couldn't repair the machinery left by their ancestors. It would take many years for this buildup, however."

"How many years, Doctor? This individual was the keeper of the menagerie when I was here 90 years ago. He doesn't look significantly older than he did then. Indeed. I would say that the changes that are present have to do with sickness. Not age. He could well be immensely old. "

Crusher nodded and made another scan. " You're right, Ambassador. My tests show him as being over 300 years old. I wonder how old these people would live naturally? " She double checked a scan, grabbed a hypo from her kit and prepared an injection. "I'm going to give him some triox. That should help stabilize him for now. "

Spock nodded as the hypospray hissed against the Keeper's shoulder. Within thirty seconds, the Keeper's eyelids started fluttering. Spock looked at Crusher. But she shook her head. "He's too weak for any stimulant, and I don't know enough about his anatomy anyway. I wouldn't dare risk anything right now. "

"Understood, " Spock said. The Keeper's eyes snapped open at the sound of Spock's voice. He tried to speak, but only managed a weak cough.

Crusher shushed him, and said, "Don't try to speak. You haven't got the lung capacity for that. "

Suddenly, both Spock and the doctor heard quite clearly, the voice of the Keeper. "_Captain Picard got my message to you, Ambassador Spock. Excellent. _" The small mouth formed a smile. Crusher did a doubletake at the "sound", but it didn't even phase Spock.

"Yes, Keeper. I came as soon as I could. I would like to take Captain Pike back to Earth. "

"_Certainly. I expected as much. I assumed you would like to take his wife as well."_

"His wife? Vina. I should have expected that. Where are they? "

"_They are both in stasis. One of the few remaining working pieces of machinery. _" The Keeper's small body shook in a soundless cough. "_The hypospray helps, but my breathing is almost useless. _"

"Your body is trying to get rid of the foreign matter in your lungs. You cant cough it out, though because you can't get enough air to do it," Crusher told him.

The Keeper nodded, then _said _into her mind. "_I understand. Our disease removing equipment stopped working several years ago. I have depended on filters to keep the air clean in the menagerie for many years. Unfortunately, I have had to venture into the unfiltered areas on occasion. And the fire in the computer labs certainly didn't help either."_

"Disease removing equipment? " Spock asked. The Keeper nodded, and Spock asked, "do you know how it removed disease? It may be repairable. "

The Keeper shook his head again, "_No, Spock. I can only tell you that it was supposed to convert anything not matching the biological signature of the sick individual into energy and remove it from the body._"

Spock turned to the door and found the rest of the party either in the front part of the ship, or standing outside. B'elanna said to him as he met her eye, "That sounds suspiciously like a transporter. "

Spock nodded, "Indeed it does, Commander. "

Picard asked, "Could we accomplish the same thing with the transporter here on the Flyer? "

Janeway shook her head. "While the Flyer's transporter is capable of transporting a person, the controls aren't sophisticated enough to fine tune the process that much. "

Torres nodded. "Harry could possibly make the computer do it, but he's on voyager. "

Spock raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to one side. "I might be able to program the computer for such an operation," he said to her.

Torres flushed. "Of course you can, Ambassador. My apologies. "

Spock nodded and looked at Janeway. She gave him the go ahead and he sat down at the computer console. He deftly worked his way through levels of programming until he was in the base code for the transporter. He transferred the genetic code of the Talosians into the computer and ordered the transporter subroutines to remove anything not resulting from talosian DNA from inside his body. "It is crude, but it should work," he informed the others when he had finished.

Janeway and Torres looked through the code that Spock had written, then Janeway told Torres to go ahead and run the program. Torres activation d the transporter, and there was the smallest sparkle around the Keeper. Then it was finished. Crusher scanned the Talosian and pronounced his lungs empty of foreign matter. The Keeper took an experimental breath and almost swooned. "Be careful, " Crusher told him. You're not used to such capacity in your lungs. "

"Thank you," the Keeper said in his own voice rather than telepathically. Then, simply because it was easier, "_I will endeavor to be careful Doctor. I would rather not pass out. _" He smiled and then very carefully tried to sit up.

"You just lie there. You have to let your body adjust. It has been sick for awhile, " Crusher ordered.

"_Doctor. If I don't go to the menagerie, the creatures there will die. They have been without food and water for quite some time now. I must check on them. "_

Worf straightened. "I'll go. Tell me how to get there."

The Keeper looked at Worf for a moment, then nodder. Suddenly, there was a second Keeper, standing beside Worf. "_this is much easier than telling you. I'll show you."_ The Keeper lying on the diagnostic bed gave his little enigmatic smile, while the standing one smiled and nodded.

"This is going to take getting used to, " Paris quipped.

"Agreed, " Janeway nodded. "However, we'll all go. Except Worf, the doctor, and the Keeper. "

The standing Keeper smiled and said, "_I assure you, Admiral, that security is quite unnecessary. I am no threat. "_

The Admiral nodded, but maintained her position. "I believe you... do we call you Keeper, or do you have a name? However, the security is not for you. "

Crusher started to protest the Keeper guiding the others, even as an illusion, but the the standing Keeper raised his hand to stop her. "_I see in your thoughts, Doctor that you would like me to sleep rather than guide your friends. I assure you I am capable of doing both. As for my name, Keeper is adequate. _" The last was directed at Janeway.

There came a startled, "Oh! " from Crusher. The others looked at her. "He's asleep," she said, indicating the prone Keeper.

Janeway looked at the standing one who was still smiling and observing the others. She looked back at the prone form by the doctor, and back to the standing one. She smiled, then said to the Talosian. "Lead the way. "

Worf started to protest, but at a look from Janeway, stopped. He looked to Picard who shook his head. "Look after Doctor Crusher, Mister Worf. "

"Aye Sir, " the big Klingon muttered, then the others were gone. Crusher smiled at him and said, "Sit down, Worf. We can play twenty questions. "

Worf just growled.


	9. Chapter 9

_Standard disclaimer: not my characters._

_Please review! _

_**Chapter 8**_

The rock tumbled end over end through space. Millennia before, it had been set on a course that allowed it to circle the planet endlessly . It's creators had known that one day, its enemies would once more be in a position of power, and it would be necessary for it's ultimate programming to come alive.

The creators and the enemies had fought each other ruthlessly for many years, neither side getting the technological upper hand, until the creators discovered a type of energy.

There was nothing terribly unusual about the energy, except that it was psychic in nature. It was generated and used by almost all minds. It was this that the enemies manipulated to their own ends. They realized that if they could figure out how to manipulate this energy with technology, they might be able to stop their enemies.

To this end, they dedicated all their resources. And one day, they did it. They discovered how to block it, and by extension, how to manipulate it in other ways. They could now end the millennia long war they had fought with the enemies.

This, they did. However, the creators were not brutal. They ended the war as quickly as they could. The enemies were driven permanently underground on the planet below the rock. And the rock was set to guard against their eventual reappearance. If they reappeared and had technology that they knew how to use, then, and only then, would the rock activate. It would stop them in their tracks. Quite literally.

_**Below...**_

As they walked toward the hill, Spock and the Keeper started a dialogue.

"Keeper. The creatures in your menagerie. What will happen to them if you die? "

Janeway started at that, but the diminutive native said to her, "_I see in your mind, Admiral that the Ambassador's question bothers you. Do not concern yourself with it, however. I assure you that I have asked myself the same question many times." _He looked around himself at the stark landscape. "_You found me on the surface because I was 'researching' the problem. I had just about decided that I must release them to the surface. At least here, they would have open space if little else. Certainly at present they have the illusion of space, but when I'm gone, that too will be gone. "_

"Keeper. " Picard said with an incredulous look on his face. "Are you saying that you are maintaining several illusions at once?" Picard instinctively knew that the Keeper was being truthful, but it seemed incredible that his mind was so powerful. "How many creatures are left below?"

The Keeper let out an enormous sigh and he stopped walking for a moment. The others stopped as well and looked at him. The Keeper seemed to stare into space and his voice grew soft. "_Once we had thousands in the menagerie. My people would participate in the illusions en mass. We became scientists studying different life forms. We studied our... pets. These were all animals. We treated them as pets. We absorbed the emotions from them and learned. We gave them a life like they wanted. We read their thoughts and gave them habitats. Families. Food. Shelters. Anything they could ever need or even want." _He sat down wearily on a rock. "_But then, we could no longer repair our ships that we collected animals with. So instead of collecting animals, we drew in people. Now there were only hundreds of animals. And thousands of people. The people proved to be much more interesting to observe than animals. At this time. Our downfall started in earnest. We were a race working on fulfilling our own destruction. Now, there were not just primitive emotions to feel. There was what we in our own superiority and... ignorance... called 'primitive thought '. We foolishly considered these people little more than the animals we had experimented with, and treated them much the same. They became our NEW pets." _The Keeper stood and walked a few paces away from the Starfleet contingent. He stayed there looking across the destroyed planet in front of him for a long while. Finally, as though coming to a decision, he turned and faced them. This time, he spoke as they did. "As much as we tried to hide the reality of their existence from them, some did manage to find out. They rebelled." Abruptly he started walking towards the hill. "The rebellion lasted for millennia . We fought to keep our pets." The Keeper looked down at this and there seemed to be a look of infinite sadness that crossed his face at the recollection. One could almost think he had been there. "It was not our best moment in history. Those that rebelled eventually beat us back. We retreated into the interior of the planet. What became of them, our history does not know. "

Spock raised any eyebrow at the Keeper's words, then when he finished speaking, asked, "Why were you surprised when humans were unfit as slaves if you had encountered the same condition before? Surely you recognized the hatred of captivity in other intelligent beings."

They had arrived at the top of the hill and were preparing to go down into the planet. "We didn't recognize it because we were no longer looking to our history as a place to learn. Our illusions were so important that reality had become secondary to them. What had been done in the past was eventually forgotten. "

With these words, the Talosian disappeared and the five Starfleet people started down on the lift.

_**Above...**_

The rock observed. It watched and waited. It watched the strangers climb out of their ship. It observed as they found the enemy on the surface, then, if it had had a heart, it would have felt it sink when they strangers repaired the damage to the enemy. It searches its memory banks foe something pertaining to the current situation. The strangers did not fit the genetic profile of the enemies, but they were helping them. Then, they went into the planet with the illusion of the enemy. This would certainly bear consideration.


	10. Chapter 10

Standard disclaimer. I do NOT own these characters. Please review!

_**Chapter 9**_

As soon as the Starfleet personnel arrived at the bottom of the lift, the Keeper reappeared. "This way, please," he said and gestured for them to follow.

They followed down corridor after corridor of dead rooms. It was eerie how silent the labyrinthine corridors were. There was no sound anywhere. Not even the soft sound of ventilation.

Then they heard a sound. There was a mechanical hum coming from somewhere ahead. As they drew closer, there was a sound of biological origin as well. They came to a door and it slid open at their approach. A breeze came from inside this hall and a smell was carried on that breeze. It had the undertones of a zoo, but there were alien smells blended into the expected smells.

the sounds too, were a mixture of the familiar and alien. They heard a sound of flapping, like a huge bird. They heard screeching from somewhere down the corridor. Off to the right, Paris was sure he heard the lowing of a Terran cow.

The sheer number of creatures was mind numbing. Picard turned to face the keeper. "You supplied continuing illusions to all of these creatures? "

"Yes, Captain. However the sheer number of them have overwhelmed me since I am alone. I can no longer supply the illusions to all of them. Some have died. The ones left were able to cope somewhat with their abruptly changed situation. Those that couldn't cope... I felt each of their lives slip away. I felt them all die." The Talosians voice became utterly flat. And again, the great weariness seemed to flood over him.

Picard glanced sharply at the keeper. " You mean that some of these creatures died because you could no longer supply a continuing illusion for them? How can that be?"

"We supplied the illusion that they were still home, Captain. They never knew they had left their place of origin. Some of them, when suddenly confronted with a markedly different reality, could not understand that reality and perished. Some of them needed continuing mental connection with their own kind. When I was unable to continue the link with their own kind stopped, and these perished. There were mercifully few of these."

Janeway came to a decision. "Keeper. We need to get these creatures to their homes. Since you can no longer care for them, we will help you take them home."

At her words, a bit of the weariness disappeared from his face and a flicker of hope replaced it. "Admiral Janeway. That is a wonderful gesture, but it is not your problem. "

Janeway studied the diminutive zoo keeper for a bit and then asked, "how can you have been in such close mental contact with one of us for so many years and yet not realized that we will help anyone in need? "

"it is true that Captain Pike expressed such sentiments to me through our link over the years, but those feelings might not have been shared by his race. "

"I assure you that by and large, it is."

"That is most gratifying. How would you transport the creatures? "

"I have an idea, but I'll need to talk to Voyager. "

"That is easily arranged, " said the Talosian, and suddenly, without any warning, she and the Talosian were standing beside Chakotay on the bridge of Voyager.

"Wha...?" Began Harry Kim. Chakotay turned towards Harry, and in doing so, saw the two from Talos. " Admiral! " he exclaimed. " how did you get here?".

" I'm pretty sure that we're not here, Chakotay.". Turning to the keeper, she asked, " is that correct?"

The keeper nodded his head and said, " we are actually still in the menagerie, but we are perceiving Voyager and they on the ship are perceiving you. Everything you say and do, they will see. And the reverse is also true. You can communicate directly with them."

Chakotay nodded his head in approval. " pretty slick," he said to Janeway and the keeper. "I take it you needed to talk to me quickly?".

Janeway nodded and gestured towards the ready room. Chakotay gave the bridge to Kim and followed her.

In the ready room, the Keeper stood near the door while Janeway sat in a chair facing Chakotay. "This is the Keeper, " she said indicating the small alien. "We need help from Voyager."

" I'm assuming you're not really here. This is an illusion?" Chakotay asked.

"Unless the Talosians have an instantaneous transporter system of unprecedented power, we're on the planet... Or more to the point, in the planet. We're in the Talosian menagerie." She paused for him to absorb this information. He nodded slowly. The Talosian illusions were complete. He had known that they were, from Picard, but the absolute perfection of the illusion took him by surprise - he could even smell the scent of the admiral's hair!

"What kind of help do you need?" Chakotay finally asked.

"There are several animals... " She glanced at the keeper and asked: " Are any of the creatures sentient?" The keeper shook his head and she said again, "There are several animals in the menagerie that need taken home. We need Voyager to come and help us catalog them and then transport them to their individual homes."

"How many animals are we talking about?" Chakotay asked.

For the first time, the keeper spoke. " there are seven hundred ninety six left alive."

Chakotay looked at Janeway incredulously. " you want us to transport ... Eight hundred animals? No disrespect intended, admiral, but where do you propose we put them?"

A slight smile played across Janeway's lips as she said," not eight hundred. Seven hundred ninety six." Chakotay did not smile. "I know this is not what you were expecting to do over the next... Let's face it several months, probably, but they are going to die if we don't help."

At that, Chakotay's face softened and his voice was quiet as he said," I understand."

"The animals have, up till recently, been experiencing a continuous illusion courtesy of the Keeper. however, he can't keep it up by himself, and this has stopped. It is my thought that we can program the holodecks on Voyager to simulate the individual habitats. I'm assuming that the Keeper will help in that area. It will take time, but we should be able to do it."

Chakotay nodded. " you're right about the time. But we can certainly do it. My main concern, however... You're not really here. This is an illusion. How do I know this is really you? The fact is, you could go to starfleet and have them order me to do this, but I wouldn't know for sure that it was real." He shook his head and sighed.

They talked for several minutes, and ended with Chakotay deciding that he would have to act on his own here. No matter what, he would not be sure that he was not in an enormous illusion. Therefore, he would act according to his conscience. He had done that before and joined the Maquis. He might be about to make a similar decision that would affect the entire crew of Voyager adversely, but at least his conscience would be clear. He was not going to let almost eight hundred animals die when he had the power to prevent it. It was a Kobyashi Maru scenario. He had no idea if it was a real emergency, and he might sacrifice his ship by going to Talos with it, but starfleet trusted him to make these kinds of decisions.

Janeway and the Keeper went to starfleet to inform them off what they intended. Command was understandably hesitant to approve her plan, but they were also appalled at the idea of eight hundred animals dying needlessly. They did insist on Voyager landing on Talos rather than orbit the planet in " plain sight".

Chakotay remained inwardly unimpressed by the fact that the admiral contacted starfleet. He was committed to the plan, but also recognized that everything he perceived could well be an illusion.

Finally it was time to take Voyager to the planet. Seven and Kim used a modified version of the flight plan Tom had used to take the Delta Flyer there. They entered orbit of the planet coasting, and set the orbit to decay after three revolutions, then air braked on decent. It was only the last five kilometers that Voyager used thrusters. Chakotay, from his position in the command chair had given the order to execute the programmed course, then had sat back and watched his ship take over. Actually, the ship had very little to do with the flight either. It was split second timing that was responsible for the entire flight until Voyager's thrusters kicked in at the last moment. Once the engines came on and gave Voyager it's initial push, they were committed. They landed just one hundred meters from the Flyer.


	11. Chapter 11

_Standard Disclaimer: Not my characters. Please review!  
_

_**Chapter 10**_

The rock watched the strange ship coast into orbit. It scanned the ship and saw that the small ship that had landed earlier and this new, larger ship had much in common. In the organic regions of the rock's " mind " it was becoming uneasy. Who were these newcomers? Were they the enemy? The rock searched it's databases for the configuration of the ships. Nothing was found. The organic beings on the ships were probed, both physically and psychically. Nothing was found resembling them there either. They were an enigma. The rock was definitely alerted now. It was faced with a decision to make. There was one enemy below. If they helped him again, the rock's decision would be made.

**Below**

Beverly and Worf were sitting in the Flyer, chatting amiably... Well as amiably as one could chat with Worf. They had been talking about the situation Ambassador Spock had outlined for them. Worf was of the idea that it was cowardly to hide behind illusions rather than openly confronting one's enemies. Beverly wasn't so sure. The Talosians were not physically imposing. She could see why they would use their obvious strengths to their advantage.

Suddenly they were startled by an incredibly loud noise from outside. Worf drew his phaser and told her to stay put while he exited the craft. Suddenly, she heard him shout. " Dr. Crusher! Come out here!" She quickly stood and looked outside where a rare sight awaited her. Voyager was coming in for a landing!

"I understand, Admiral. It is an impressive sight." It was the keeper, but not from behind her. From beside. She looked to her right and Janeway and the keeper were standing there. The admiral watched as Voyager finished touching down. Then she turned to the doctor.

"Beverly. Coordinate with The Doctor on Voyager and get the Keeper aboard. Mr Worf. Please coordinate with Tuvok as well. Get some of his personnel and place them on guard duty. We just highlighted this planet for all to see."

Beverly acknowledged her and went back into the flyer. Worf taped his communicator and asked to speak to Tuvok on Voyager. very quickly for security personnel were double timing it towards the Flyer. Worf set one guarding the lift to the subterranean city and the other the were put on patrol around the knoll.

Two medical personnel from Voyager came hurrying over as well. One was an orderly as expected. The other, however, was the Doctor utilizing his mobile emitter.

"Doctor," Beverly said to him. "I didn't expect you to come yourself!".

"I understand, Dr Crusher, but the chance to examine a telepathic species as powerful as this patient is unprecedented! This species from all appearances is even more powerful, telepathically, than the Ocampa! There is no way I can pass this opportunity up." He calmed his voice a bit then said rather matter of factly, " not to mention the satisfaction of being one of the only people who can say they've set foot on Talos."

Beverly laughed at that, and together they prepared the keeper for transfer to Voyager's sickbay.

Underground, Janeway no longer saw herself as being on the surface. She seemed to appear in the corridor beside Picard. He started at her appearance. Apparently, she had been invisible to the others while she perceived herself on Voyager and the surface.

"Admiral," Picard said to her. "if I may ask, where have you been?"

"I brought Voyager here." She replied. " we can use the holodecks to transport these animals. The habitats we can set up won't be as good as what the Keeper can do, but they should suffice for getting them home."

"Agreed," Picard said nodding his head.

And then, everything changed, and Picard was no longer in the city.

_**Above**_

The rock came to a decision. It watched the ship land. It could tolerate that. It watched people start to guard the lift and patrol the area around the knoll. That was no problem. Then however, they took the enemy on board the larger ship and started to examine him. And they treated him for disease. He was getting better. These newcomers were aiding the enemy. The rock couldn't tolerate that at all. It acted.

_**On Voyager**_

Beverly and the Doctor had just given the Talosian a vitamin infusion and completed another round with the much finer ships transporters in removing the pollutants from the Keeper's lungs.

The Doctor was setting up a brain scan. He asked Beverly to position the scanner a bit higher. He received no response. Turning, he saw Beverly standing immobile.

" Beverly? Dr Crusher?". No response. He waved his hand in front of her face. Again, no response. He scanned her. She was fine, but she seemed to be unable to perceive anything outside of her mind. He grabbed a medical tricorder and scanned her with that. There was the normal amount of brain activity for someone responding to her surroundings. She was obviously seeing things. She was moving somewhat, but she wasn't. He could see her brain tell her body to move, and he could see her brain receive the information that she had in fact moved. But physically, she hadn't. It seemed that her brain was off in it's own little world. The Doctor pressed the intercom switch and called his orderly to help him move Beverly to a diagnostic bed. No response. He tried his nurse. Again, no response. This was getting disturbing. He tried the bridge. There, at least someone acknowledged his call, but no voice came through the intercom. He got Beverly onto a diagnostic bed, then headed for the bridge.

The corridors were a strange sight. Voyager's crew was there... But they weren't. Physically they were there, but every one of them was motionless. He boarded the turbolift for the bridge. Captain Chakotay was there, motionless and unblinking. The Doctor ran his scanner over the captain, and found the same readings he had found with Beverly Crusher. His mind was active, but he was nonresponsive. When the lift reached the bridge, the Doctor stepped off and gazed around. Harry Kim was there at ops, looking for all the world like a mannequin. He was looking at the ops board, and his hands were hovering over the board, frozen as they were moving to press buttons. At the helm, Seven was seated. She too, was frozen, her hand on the open intercom. The Doctor made a slow circuit of the bridge, examining the crew. All had the same readings. He came back to Seven. Her hand still on the intercom. And the switch was open. She had acknowledged his call. So she was still somewhat responsive. She had to be! He shook her be the shoulder. She blinked and slowly turned her head to look at him.

" Doctor," she said very slowly. "I am attempting to segregate the illusions from reality. I should have it done in a few moments. Please stand by.". And she went unresponsive again.

Segregate the illusions from reality? Was the Talosian doing this? Did their scans trigger something? Maybe the scans were perceived as a threat. But that didn't make sense. They should know what the scans were. And the scans he had used so far were all passive.

Suddenly, Seven blinked and stood. She gazed around the bridge, taking in each of her colleagues. They were all immobile and she understood why. She turned to the doctor. "Doctor. I am experiencing an illusion. Even now I perceive that I am in a desert, with nothing to see except sand all around me. And I am kneeling down and my feet and hands are pulled behind me where they are chained to a post. In the illusion, I am unable to move. To segregate the illusion from reality, I have had to tie directly into my implants for perception."

"I see," the Doctor said. "I think it would be safe to assume that the rest of the crew sees something similar."

Seven looked curiously at the Doctor. " why would that be a safe assumption? Each persons mind is different. Some might not be affected at all.". She hit the shipwide intercom. " all hands. Report to the bridge, immediately." She turned to the Doctor. "Obviously, those that are nonresponsive won't, but there might be some that answer." She tapped her communicator and called the Flyer and those on the surface. Again, no response.

"We seem to be the only ones who are unaffected," the Doctor commented.

"I am hardly unaffected," Seven replied. "However, I am functioning."

**_Underground_**

Spock knelt on the ground. He was on a plain, with yellow sand stretching away as far as the eye could see. His feet and hands were tied behind him. He moved his hands experimentally. They wouldn't come free. Intellectually, he knew that he was still in the menagerie, probably still standing, looking at the animal he had been studying. But that didn't help. He couldn't shake this illusion. There was no way to get it out of his perception. He decided to simply wait. There didn't seem to be anything else he could do. He wondered if the Keeper had betrayed him. Considering the current situation he found himself in, that was a distinct possibility.

Jean-Luc Picard knelt on the ground. Feet and hands fastened behind him. He was hot. He was on an endless plain of sand. _What happened _he wondered. Did the Talosian turn against us? Did he have some hidden agenda? Picard couldn't figure it out. It didn't feel right. He didn't think they had been betrayed by the Talosian. But under the current circumstances, what other alternative was there?

Janeway knelt on a wide plain of endless yellow sand. Her legs and feet were bound behind her. She had been talking to the Keeper And then suddenly she was here. she tried to think if there was any indication that this was going to happen. They had been talking about the needs of the animals for their journey. Why would the Keeper suddenly turn on them? They were helping him! Unless all they had been told was a lie. That was certainly a possibility.

The Magistrate knelt on the plain, hands and feet bound behind him. Never before had he been scared. Even when Chris had held a laser on him years ago, before they became friends... Before the magistrate had even known the meaning of the word friend. At that point he wasn't scared. He simply figured if he died, his purpose was served. Now he was unable to break the illusion he was currently experiencing. That meant that he was under the influence of a mind more powerful than his own. That scared him. He knew how powerful his mind was. If there was one more powerful... He was very scared.


	12. Chapter 12

_I would like to apologize for the long delay in this chapter. I have just gone through a rather large change in my employment, and did not have the opportunity to add this chapter until now. I hope you enjoy it._

_standard disclaimer... I don't own Trek._

_Please review!_

_**Chapter 11**_

The Doctor displayed a look of horror on his face. These people were all friends of his. How could he pull them out of these illusions. If they were perceiving the same illusion that Seven was, would they even be able to eat? What about sleep? He would have to figure out a way to disconnect them from whatever was influencing their minds. Seven had walked over to the communications console. The doctor realized that he had been ignoring something. There was an insistent beeping from the board. A call was coming in! But from another ship, not from anyone on Talos.

Seven turned on the overhead speakers. "... calling Voyager. Come in Voyager. Repeat: This is USS Enterprise calling Voyager. We lost your signal. Please respond! Enterprise calling Voyager. come in Voyager!"

Seven pressed the transmit button. "This is Seven of Nine, on board USS Voyager. We have had an incident on board. Please let me speak to Commander Riker." She looked at the Doctor who had joined her at the communications board. "At least they'll know what has happened. And they may very well have some ideas."

The Doctor nodded but before he could say anything, the ships speakers came to life with the voice of Commander William Riker whose image appeared on the main viewer. "Riker here. What's going on there Seven? We had agreed on hourly reports, and the first one was being made when it just stopped."

"That is understandable, Commander. All personnel other than myself and the Doctor appear to be under the influence of an illusion. The organic parts of my mind are receiving an illusion, but I am able to filter it out of my perception. I think it is likely that the illusion I perceive is the same as the rest of the crew."

"I take it that Captain Picard and the rest of the Flyer's crew are similarly effected?"

"Dr Crusher is aboard Voyager, Commander," the Doctor said. "She was the first one I saw succumb. We haven't been able to raise the others."

"I see." Riker's voice was ice. "Is the Talosian causing this?"

"Commander. Someone is approaching in the illusion." Seven's voice sounded a long way off as she tuned into the illusion. "It looks like the Keeper, but it is not him. He is dressed similarly, and certainly looks like he's of the same race. He's saying something now. 'We have watched you. You are helping the enemy. Therefore we have stopped you.'" She raised her voice and asked the being as it turned away, "Who is the enemy? Who are you? We were told that there were no more Talosians! He isn't responding at all, Commander. He is walking away. He's gone now. He just faded as he was walking away."

"'We have watched you. You are helping the enemy. Therefore we have stopped you.' That's all he said?" Riker asked.

"Yes sir. That is all he said."

"Who is the enemy?" Riker asked to no one in particular. He looked around at the bridge personnel on Voyager, each one totally oblivious to everything happening in reality. "Seven, find out if anyone is unaffected on the planet. Doctor, see if you can find out how these illusions work. See if you can disrupt then in any way. Both of you, send the data that you collect to our Mr. Data. I'm placing him on this problem exclusively." Riker paused a moment and fixed both of them with a look. "Let's figure this out and get our friends freed."

Seven inclined her head, and the Doctor replied gravely, "Yes, Sir". Both of them turned away as Riker severed the connection.

_**On board Voyager**_

Seven started toward the turbolift as the connection with Enterprise ended. "I am assuming that you are going to see if anyone else is unaffected," the Doctor said to her. "I'm going to need to run some scans on you before very long, so please hurry back."

Seven paused before entering the turbolift. She glanced at the Doctor, then nodded her head slightly. "I will hurry, Doctor. Before I return, however, I would suggest that you run some scans on as many of the crew as you can. It might be prudent to get some baseline readings on as many different species as possible."

The Doctor nodded. "I agree. However, it will eventually be necessary to see how your implants are allowing you to move the illusions out of your immediate perception"

Seven nodded once more, then left the bridge. The Doctor turned to Harry Kim, and started taking detailed scans.

_**Underground**_

Seven stepped out of the lift and shone her light at the floor. There were barely perceptible tracks leading to the left. Logically, she followed them. There was no sound except the echo of her footsteps. Had Seven been fully human, she would have had an emotional response to the emptiness. Actually, she was outwardly even more unemotional than she would normally be. Because her biological components were susceptible to the illusion being transmitted to her, that part of her was essentially being suppressed. The part that was active, was the computerized part. That part could ignore the illusions. Her human brain was just as good a receiver of illusion as anyone else's. She was having to give a very large part of her consciousness under the control of her implants. She doubted that the Doctor would be able to find a way to free the others through studying her. They didn't have the technological distinctions that she had.

Finally, after walking close to two kilometers, she started to hear the whisper of air filtration equipment. On the moving air, came smells as well. She could sense a large number of different creatures through their smells. She sensed that her organic part considered some of the smells unpleasant. However, this was the least of her organic self's worries. Then she realized something of importance. Her organic self WAS aware of the smells. She paused and devoted more of her processing power to perceiving the illusion. The smells were not a part of the illusion. Nor were they being incorporated into the illusion. If she placed enough of her attention on the illusion, the smells appeared to be gone. But she could detect the odors with both her implants and her olfactory system. That would be something to tell the Doctor. Apparently, her sensory organs were unaffected. As well, part of her brain sensed reality still. She decided to see if vision were affected the same way and was rewarded with an affirmative. She started walking again, but devoted part of her consciousness to examining her senses and how much of the brain was actually being affected by the illusion.

By tapping into her organic systems in different locations, Seven discovered that her organic consciousness was where the illusion was happening. This did nothing to help her overcome the problem, but it was interesting to note. She allowed as much of her organic systems as possible to handle their own sensory input, and then shunted the input into her inorganic systems for final integration into her consciousness. She found that this allowed as much of her personality as possible to remain in the forefront, but her inorganic consciousness was the main component controlling her now. The result was a Seven of Nine who was, if possible, more aloof than she normally was. She wasn't going to win any friends this way, and she recognized that fact, although dimly. But, until the Doctor, Data, and she, managed to stop the illusions in some way, there weren't any people with whom friends could be made. So, it didn't much matter. "Good," she thought. And then, she realized something else. Her psyche was being split, not unlike a schizophrenic person's would be. It was almost as if there was a section of her consciousness that was compartmentalized, away from the rest, and this was the section of her mind that was being controlled by the illusion. To bypass the illusion, she had separated her consciousness into two parts. One, the organic, had what amounted to virtual sensory input and output. The inorganic had its input and output as her actual body. She wondered if it would be possible to, in effect, separate her organic consciousness into a virtual machine and a physical. The virtual machine would be the part that had the illusion as its sensory input and output. She thought she might be able to split off an organic consciousness that was rooted in reality. It might take some time, but it would be worth it.

She rounded a corner, and came upon the party from the Delta Flyer standing in front of a cage. In it, was a creature that looked like a Terran kangaroo, but it had definite Saurian features. It, like the humanoids, was completely motionless. It stood unblinking, gazing at the Vulcan Ambassador. It was eerie, the way they stood, apparently captivated by each other's eyes. And the others stood by, as if looking on at some incredible happening. They might have been a waxworks display, standing unmoving. But each displayed it's life by breathing. Seven scanned each one, and found that life signs were normal, aside from an elevated level of dopamine in their brains.

She hated leaving the party here, but saw little choice in it. She eased each one off their feet and made them as comfortable as she could, but in the end could do little to help them. The diminutive keeper was the last one she lowered to the floor. She gazed for a moment into his eyes. The fact that he too was apparently lost in illusion seemed to indicate that he was not at fault for this situation. As she hurried towards the surface, she considered the possibility that they were up against a mental power that was able to overcome the considerable mental prowess of the Talosians. That was a very disturbing thought. Very disturbing indeed.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Chapter 12_**

Ambassador Spock sat. He looked across the plain. The Talosian had come and gone. It was definitely of the same species as the Keeper, but he had never before seen this one. This strange Talosian had said they were aiding the enemy. What did that mean? Was this new Talosian enemies with the creatures of the Menagerie? Was he an enemy of the Talosians that he was familiar with? He reached out to the Keeper with his mind. He didn't know if he could find him, but he tried. He felt Picard, Janeway, Paris, B' Elanna… They all seemed to be in the same situation he was in. Curious.

As he explored his companions' consciousnesses, he found that they too, were immobile. He couldn't find the Keeper, however. Then he realized…. He would have to stretch his mind farther if he was to reach the familiar mind. The Keeper wasn't really beside Spock. Just an illusion of him. He reached farther, and found him onboard Voyager, in sickbay. He was there, his mind as active as ever. Spock touched it gingerly. He wasn't sure what he would find, but he suspected that the Keeper was not at fault for what was happening. None of it made sense, unless the Keeper had lied. Spock admitted that, given the power of the Talosian mind, this was possible. He certainly could have deceived Spock, but it would have taken an incredible amount of effort.

Spock touched the Talosian mind and requested a full link. The Keeper agreed, and their minds merged. Suddenly, Spock knew Captain Pike in a way he never had. He saw, through Pike's eyes, a young as a lieutenant, newly assigned to Enterprise, and still struggling to control his emotions. Had he really smiled like that? He hadn't realized, but then, perhaps Pike had read more emotion in than Spock had really shown. '_No, Spock. You really DID smile that much.' _ The thought came from the Keeper's mind, but it was definitely Captain Pike's amused voice.

_Interesting, _Spock thought. _The Keeper must have absorbed an enormous ammount of Captain Pike's personality over the years. It's almost as if the Captain is still here, talking to me._

_Yes, Spock. I did absorb much of Chris' personality over the years. But that is not the only reason why you hear his voice. _That was in the Keeper's own voice.

_Indeed, _Spock projected to the Keeper. _What other reason is there? _Spock knew that there were more pressing things to discuss with the Keeper, but his curiosity, never far from the surface, was asserting itself once again.

_Later, Spock. For right now, we must figure out what is happening to us. I have probed the minds on this ship, and have discovered that each is being affected by the same illusion that I perceive._

_Facinating. _Spock considered for a moment. Then, _How are we separate individuals in the meld? In my experience, a meld this deep involves a merging of consciousness. _

_Not for a Talosian. We have a way of compartmentalizing our minds. You are joined to my mind, but that section of my mind is only being used right now for a connection to you. It does not contain my consciousness. I do not wish to overwhelm you with my thoughts, so I considered that this might be the best way of communication between us. _

_Indeed. _Spock was mildly perturbed that the Talosian was condescending to him, but given the obvious power of his mind, he was undoubtedly correct that his thoughts could very well be overwhelming. _I would assume that those of us who are underground are all being affected in the same way too. I saw a Talosian earlier. He said that we were aiding the enemy. Who is the enemy?_

The Magistrate considered before he answered. There was the possibility that he was wrong, but he doubted it. Spock must know the truth. Chris had known, and he didn't think less of the Talosian for it, so it was doubtful that Spock would either. _That will take some time to explain, Spock. Many years ago, Talos was at war. You know this, but what you don't yet know is that we were at war with ourselves. The 'pets' that beat us back… They were not just pets. They were not just intelligent creatures. They were us. There were those of us who did not have the ability to project illusions into the minds of others. They were looked down on, and treated as 'less than' the rest of us. At first, this prejudice was not the case, but as time went on experiments were performed on these people. These experiments were intended with the purest of scientific motives. We wished to learn why some of us had the ability and others didn't. But as time went on, these people became less than people… They became test subjects only. Then, horribly, they became the property of the laboratories that were performing the experiments. We fooled ourselves into thinking we were purely scientists by making life as comfortable for these people as we possibly could. What we didn't realize, however, is that some of them were born immune to our abilities. We couldn't project into their minds. These people went into hiding, and they started experimenting on us! They quickly learned how to shield against our projections, so we couldn't do anything to stop them. They developed a purely artificial means of projecting what we did naturally. And not only did they give themselves the ability artificially, but it was more powerful than our own. With the turn of a dial, they could amplify their abilities enormously._

The Keeper paused for a moment and Spock could feel the emotions raging through him. Finally, he resumed in his narrative. _In the first strike, they decimated our population. We lost many good people in that attack. Years ago, we expressed to Chris, surprise that human beings were so horrified at being kept in a cage. We had seen this horror before, however. We had seen it in ourselves. What we didn't know is that others shared this resistance. _ The Keeper stopped talking and simply looked at Spock for a long while, as if daring Spock to judge him.

Spock, for his part, was unwilling to judge. His own history was so violent, that he refused to say anything. The Keeper finally broke his silence. _This must seem horrifying to you - that any race could do this to itself. _

_No, Magistrate. If you look into my mind deeper, you will see that Vulcans have a particularly long and bloody history. It is not my place to judge your race when mine was so badly behaved before we discovered logic to temper us._

Suddenly, both Spock and The Keeper sensed a new mind tentatively reaching out to touch them. It was fleeting at first, but the touch became more and more substantial. The Keeper recoiled in horror at the first sensing of this mind, but intellectually, he knew that this mind was safe to touch. Very carefully, the Keeper drew the mind in. Part of him kept screaming, _artificial!_ But it was the artificial aspects of Seven that allowed the joining he now found himself a part of.

_You were right, Doctor, _the Keeper heard in his mind, but also with his ears. _Apparently, that was the correct frequency to use. I am accessing thoughts from the Keeper and the Ambassador._


	14. Chapter 14

_Standard disclaimer. Not my characters or franchise._

_Please review._

**_Chapter 13_**

_Seven of Nine, _Spock thought to her. _It will be interesting to learn how you have managed to enter this meld. _

_Once the Doctor discovered the frequency of the Keeper's thoughts, it was not hard, _she thought back. _What is your status, Ambassador? _

_We are undamaged, however, we are unable to connect mentally with our physical bodies. This will prove to be a problem when our bodies need physical sustenance._

_Agreed, _Seven said. _How long will it be before sustenance is required?_

_That would depend on how long we have been unresponsive, _Spock replied, sounding slightly amused.

_You mock me? _Seven asked.

_Hardly, _Spock replied. _I simply find it gratifying that you have found your… niche, is what a human would call it. Yet you remain Borg. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination. _

_I see. Do I take it that you find it ironic that the ship that destroyed the Borg still carries a Borg as a crewmember?_

_I would not have put it that way, Seven, but I think that would be an accurate assessment. You have truly grown beyond the sum of your parts. You have become an individual in a way no other Borg ever has. You are unique._

_Thank you Ambassador. Now, however, I think it would be prudent to see what can be done for our shipmates._

_Of course. How are you separating yourself from the illusion? Is there any way in which we could use your technique to help the others? _Spock was immediately focused on the problem at hand.

Seven considered. _I am certain others could not use my technique. I am separating my consciousness through my Borg implants. I have split my consciousness into two sections. I am using my artificial consciousness to connect my senses to my mind. My organic systems are aware of sensory input, but the part that senses things has been 'disconnected'. It is as if my sense of self is in a box. Were it not for my implants, I would not be able to function outside this box. It would completely overrun my perception._

_I see, _said Spock, thoughtfully. _And right now, you are able to confer with Voyager's Doctor?_

_Yes. I am. _

_Facinating. And you are in Voyager's Sickbay?_

_Yes. What do you have in mind, Ambassador?_

_Is that a joke, Seven? I have _you_ in my mind. _

_Ambassador, _Seven's tone was positively exasperated now. _I assure you that I am not joking. _

_No. I suppose you are not. Were I human, however, I might have found your statement amus…_

_Ambassador, please. We have other things to focus on right now._

_I assure you, Seven. I am working on a theory right now. _

_Is it possible, Seven, for you to patch me into Voyager's computer so I could interface with the holographic systems?_

Seven considered. _It might be possible to patch you in so you could 'speak' through the ship's intercoms. That seems like a lot of work for a little gain, however. I can allow you to communicate directly with the doctor through me._

_That is not what I had in mind, Seven. I am wondering if you could act as a conduit so that I could place my mind, or a copy of it at least into the ship's computer. This could then control a holographic body, as the ship's doctor does._

_I am not sure. Let me confer with the doctor. _For a few moments, things were quiet.

_Spock, _came the thought from the Keeper. _If I understand things correctly, you are planning on controlling a photonic body with a copy of your mind which would reside in the vessel's computer?_

_Yes, Keeper. That is essentially correct._

_I might be able to help somewhat also. With Seven of Nine's help, I should be able to separate my consciousness much as she has been able to. I do not have the benefit of an artificial consciousness, however, the Talosian mind is capable of segregating different sections of itself, and running what you would call 'Virtual Consciousnesses'. By building one of these virtual minds, I can connect my sensory organs to it, and transfer control of my body from my main consciousness to it. I should then be able to function. If I can succeed in this, it will show me that I am able to completely segregate that part of my mind receiving the illusion, and I should then be able to help by projecting many of the crew of Voyager through my mind. You would be able to interact with them in a way that seems perfectly normal to you._

_But that mind residing in the computer would not be able to perceive your illusions any more than they can receive the other Talosian's illusions. _

_No,_ said the Keeper,_ but if Seven can maintain a connection to the computer from your biological mind, we should be able to allow your dopplegangar to see what is happening in my illusion._

Spock considered, then asked Seven, _Did you hear what the Keeper proposes?_

_No, but the thought did appear in my head, _Seven thought back at Spock in response to his earlier humor. _I would say that his plan does appear to have a high probability of success. I would recommend that we try to revive Mr. Kim in the same way we intend on reviving you. Mr. Kim is an 'artist' when it comes to holodecks. He should be able to recreate any other person we need. The bridge has holo-emitters, as do most areas of the ship, but certain areas don't. The doctor insisted that he be able to make 'housecalls' for those people who weren't critically ill, so even crew quarters have emitters now._

Seven explained in detail what she had done to split her consciousness to the Keeper, who performed analogous operations in his own mind. With that accomplished, he was able to tune out the illusion and focus on reality. He sat up in sickbay, much to the surprise of the Doctor. Then Seven and the Keeper set up the necessary conduit for Spock to control a photonic body. The doctor demanded that Spock's physical body be present in sickbay for observation when they activated the conduit. He and Seven made several trips to the underground city and retrieved their shipmates and the Enterprise crew. The Doctor made them all as comfortable as possible in their quarters. Those from the Enterprise, he put in empty quarters.

Finally, things were ready to go. The photonic body was constructed for the Ambassador, and the conduit was in place. Seven made the proper connections, and the photonic Spock sat up on the examination table where it had been constructed. One eyebrow went up, and Spock said, "Fascinating."


End file.
